Thursday, June 28, 2007

Some off-Season Thoughts

A Recent Post about the Eagles at Spliterati made some of the local message boards. Its basically about how the Eagles, in the NFC East, may have won the 'losing battle' because they didn't lose that much, talent-wise, in the off-season.

I think its a bit half-three-quarters-full type argument myself. We Philly fans have a tendency to sour quickly on players about to leave or already out the door. Now this is certainly deserved in some cases. I mean lets be honest, fans were calling for the ouster of Mr. Air Banjo, Dhani Jones, for quite some time, and his departure certainly fall in the "don't-let-the-door-hit-you-in-the-ass" category. As does former safety Michael Lewis...He went the Pro-Bowl, had a down year in 2005 (who didn't?) and then left his confidence/brain in the locker-room last year. Maybe a change of scenery will do him good, but he'd become a liability in the Birds secondary. Period.

As for some others who got no love from the other site. Hmmm. I liked Rod Hood and Jeff Garcia. Hood was a great success story, from undrafted free agent to very capable 3rd corner for the Eagles. If we could've kept him for back-up money, he'd still be in green. Fact is, he hit free agency at a very highly paid position, and the Arizona Cardinals stepped up with starters' money for him. His departure hurts (its NOT crippling), because he's not a guy who went from good to regular toast like Lewis. We just have to do what we've done several times before, groom a young guy to step up. Is it Joselio Hanson? Maybe...one of the draft choices? Barksdale maybe? Dunno....or will it be a guy like Hood or Al Harris (the other 3rd corner made-good after cutting-his-teeth with the Eagles)? I'll say this. They will find someone.

As for the rest of the NFC East:The Giants - I'll say this. I am much happier facing a backfield of Droughens/Jacobs backfield than a Tiki/Jacobs backfield...that little TV-bound fucker was a thorn in our sides his entire friggin' career. As Eli continues to spin his wheels (and he best be spinning them fast, because the Giants didn't do a whole lot to fix the sieve-like Offensive Line), I am struck by this: a few years ago, the Giants future looked bright, they had a top-pick QB named Manning taking the helm, and the Cowboys and 4skins seemed content to play out seasons with recycled fossils at QB (Testaverde, Bledsoe, Brunell). Everyone acknowledged McNabb was the dominant QB in the NFC East and there really wasn't any team close to challenging that.

NOW - Eli continues his one-step-forward-two-steps-back "progress" and the its the Cowboys and Redskins that arguably have more hope for their young QBs than New York. I'm not a big Jason Campbell fan (but not a big detractor either), he's raw. Got some talent, but who knows how far he'll develop. It looks like he's destined for a coaching-change down Washington way as St. Gibbs wears out his 2nd-tour welcome with a rudderless team that hasn't learned how to win (but sure knows how to lose). As for Tony Romo. Well I will say this, the Pro Bowl nod was wholly and completely undeserved and he didn't provide Eagles fans with an ever-lasting moment to gloat with that all-time choke fumbled snap on a gimme-game-winning-FG against Seattle in the playoffs. And while he'd never live that down in Philly, I have a feeling that if he WAS an Eagle and had performed like he did in the REGULAR season, that there would be a lot of hopeful Romosexuals buzzing around Philly talking about how much potential our QB had.

So there it is, in two years, the team I considered to be our closest competitor and toughest foe for the NFC East has completely changed. Bye bye NY. Dallas is clearly the team the Eagles need to be most concerned about. How will Big D deal with Wade Phillips? Will MEO implode/cause another season of distraction? Who knows. Who cares. The 'Boys have talent and we need to take care of business.